Whats in a Sue? all about how to have a healthy OC
by Mellybean23
Summary: Is your character at risk of becoming a Mary Sue? Here's how to help avoid the fate of many Harry Potter OCs and stories. How to be interesting, but not overbearing.
1. Chapter 1

**What's In a Sue?**

**Author's** **Note. Please Read-**This essay was written as a guide to helping avoid the terribly annoying Mary Sue and all of the clichés that go along with it. This is in no way meant to insult, offend, or point fingers at _anyone_. This is meant to be used as a tool for author's old and new to help explain what a Mary Sue is, why they are not appreciated by many members of Fan Fiction, and how to avoid them. Thank you, and Happy Writing.

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><p><em>Introduction: Why we have the Sue<em>

Let's face it: Romance has not the main point of the Harry Potter series. Many of our favorite characters end up marrying people that we were never introduced to in the books or only met in passing once or twice throughout the series (examples being Draco/ Astoria, Luna/ Rolf, Neville/ Hannah, and George/ Angelina, in some cases). Some of us have actually never discovered what happened to our favorite character after the Battle of Hogwarts (in my case, Oliver Wood). Or maybe we just hate the significant other of our favorite character (most famously, Harry/ Ginny). So, to compensate for the lack of romance, development of relationship, or closure, we create our own OCs, which, more often than not, turn into Mary Sues.

As many Fan Fiction authors know, Mary Sues are annoying and not all that fun to have to experience or deal with. Their overly kind, yet aggressive in times of need, demeanor annoys us to no end. Their ravishing beauty, often complete with naturally changing or pink eye/ hair color, makes us want to puke, and their brilliance, yet flirty stupidity, makes us stop reading then and there and leave a nasty flame. Yes, many people do not like reading a Mary Sue story. However, there is one thing worse than reading a Mary Sue story: getting a Flame about our beloved OC.

Let's face it; we think that everyone should love Miss Mary and we aren't exactly pleased when someone doesn't. We call them a "Hater" or a "Flamer" and then respond to their reviews in all capital letters and tell our loyal readers that we were flamed. And we all know that we've all been there. Maybe you were like me and didn't actually publish your first story on Fan Fiction, but instead, gave it to your older siblings to read and were laughed at by your childish character that managed to sweep Harry and Draco off of their feet. Or, maybe you did publish it on Fan Fiction and then deleted your account in shame after receiving one flame too many about how it was completely unrealistic to have a working iPod at Hogwarts in the 1970's when the Marauders were there. Either way, any honest author has to admit that they've been there, done that, and would really prefer not to go back. So let's make an agreement right here and right now: let's not be the flamer that made you cry when they called your very first story a piece of shit.

Instead, we should all be that one kind author (maybe we had one, maybe we didn't) that said, "Look, I'm sorry but this isn't very good. You have great spelling and grammar, but your character is a Mary Sue. She just seems too perfect to be real and people didn't even have Walkmans in the 1970's. I would take a Mary Sue test and revise her if I were you. You have a lot of potential as an author, but you characters need some work. Happy Writing."

We can all at least say "I'm sorry, but your character seems to be a Mary Sue. I'd revise her a bit if I were you." That takes just as long as typing "This story sucks and makes me want to kill myself." It take even less time then typing out those long reviews about how much we hate your story and how many ways we can make fun of it.

Those are the worst and we all know it.

But what's also just as bad is when an author trying to be helpful is brutalized back and called a "Flamer" because they mentioned the words "Mary Sue". These words have become an argument creator and have put tensions in the Fan Fiction community to the point that it almost makes the Cold War look like a friendly competition. It doesn't matter how they are said, these can turn anyone into a flamer and any good story into an outcast on our site.

So, what is a way to avoid getting into these arguments and avoiding nasty reviews? Simple- have a well rounded OC.

For those of you that are having trouble accomplishing this, here is the outline of the following essay that will hopefully help you improve your writing and story.

_'s in a Sue? Personality, heritage, names, and family history  
>2. Plot is everything! Common plot lines often associated with Sues and why they should be avoided<br>3. Oh, brother, Oh, Sister! Why cannon relatives are not a good idea  
>4. Mirror, Mirror… Self inserts and why they should be avoided<br>5. Who's the fairest of them all? Beauty and looks  
>6. CATCH this book! How to find a balance between smarts, sports, and musicality<br>7. Historically speaking… why characters need to fit in, in their time period  
>8. . Goffic vs Preppy... How to avoid Enooby along with the big "S" word<br>9 Ginny is a Biotch… why a well balanced new love interest is best  
>10. Cannon Sue: when Hermione attacks and a guide to OOC<em>

This will be split into four chapters: this chapter will be point one. The next will be two and three. The next will be four, five, and six, chapter four will be seven and eight, and chapter four will be points nine and ten along with a short note on grammar and spelling.

So first, What's in a Sue?

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><p><em>1. What's in a Sue?<em>

It is perfectly understandable to want to make your character likeable, but everyone has flaws.

Now, if you're thinking "She does have flaws. She's clumsy" then I hate to tell you, but that does not count as a flaw. Clumsiness is often considered cute and not the fault of the actual person. A real flaw is something like vanity or a short temper. Being a push over can also be considered a flaw, as can having unwavering prejudice against Muggle Borns, Half Bloods, or Blood Traitors.  
><strong>Note<strong>- it doesn't count if your character changes his or her mind. Maybe they learn to deal with it, but don't have them just wake up one morning and say "Oh, I support Muggle Born rights!" That just adds to their Sueness.

Another commonly overly used trait is their personal history. This can be just as annoying- if not more so- then a perfect personality. It's sad, because you can have a pretty well rounded character that people hate just because he or she has had a hard past. You should attempt at almost all costs to stick to the following guide lines:  
>No orphans, and if they are please don't make their new caregivers overly cruel.<br>No abusive parents.  
>No sketchy past.<br>No foster kid sob story.  
>No seeing the tragic death of a loved one.<br>No causing/ not preventing death of said loved one  
>No unknown fame or royalty. Just look at Mia from the "Princess Diaries".<br>No- and this is a huge killer- rape/ sexual abuse. This will result in a lot of brutalization from anti Sue activists.

Now, I know that just because a character has a past that mirrors one of the following it doesn't make them a Mary Sue, but be aware that the more of these common clichés you use, the more likely you are to get flames, whether they be deserved or not. Also, the more of these clichés that you use, the easier it is for your character to start becoming a Mary Sue. Try to keep this in mind when creating a personal history for your character.

His or her heritage can also be important, but keep in mind that this should not be his or her most interesting trait. For instance, in real life I am a Mormon living in Utah with blonde hair and blue eyes, but one of my great grandparents was a Native American and another was an African American. My grandmother is also Jewish too. Now, do I go around advertising this to the world? No, I do not. In fact, the only people who know about this are you and people that have seen very old family photos or met my great grandparents or grandmother. I am not embarrassed about this, but I don't think that it is all that important about me. So keep this in mind when you are deciding the heritage of your character and how much of it you want to put into the story.

Half human/ half creature stories should just not be attempted in general, though, because there are so few that actually turn out well.

Names are also a HUGE turn off for many readers. If your character's name is more than ten letters, requires you to insert symbols, strikingly similar to a canon character's name, a nickname with no connection to their real name, or is just random letters thrown together, it needs to be changed.

Exceptions:  
>Your character is foreign, therefore has a <em>common<em> foreign name with a lot of letters or symbols like an umlaut  
>Your character was given the nickname in childhood or at birth for a reason such as… Being born on the same date that so and so died or eating this plant as a small child (only applies to nicknames like Lily, Daisy, ect.)<p>

This should help solve many immediate problems that are most easily identified and picked upon. Even if you follow only this first rule, the amount of flames will be far less than if you don't, but follow other rules.

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><p>Hopefully this helped at least a little bit and the next chapters should be up soon.<p>

If I forgot to add anything, please tell me!


	2. Chapter 2

**What's in a Sue?**

**Author's** **Note -**This essay was written as a guide to helping avoid the terribly annoying Mary Sue and all of the clichés that go along with it. This is in no way meant to insult, offend, or point fingers at _anyone_. This is meant to be used as a tool for author's old and new to help explain what a Mary Sue is, why they are not appreciated by many members of Fan Fiction, and how to avoid them. Thank you, and Happy Writing.

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><p><em>2. Plot is everything!<em>

It doesn't matter if you are writing a story to show the characters or if you are writing a story because you thought of an amazing story line, your plot is about half the battle of avoiding a Mary Sue. Personally, I write for the characters, but all of my stories have actual (though many are vague) plot lines that are not just about my OC (or OCs, in some cases) finding true love with Kenny. Or, in the Harry Potter universe, the equivalent would be Draco.

Even though a wonderful plot in your eyes (and in the eyes of a few other authors) may be centered almost entirely around your character turning Draco into a Muggle Rights activist, this is Fan Fiction. Most authors want to read about canon characters too, not just your OC. So, when writing, put a lot of thought into the amount of "Screen Time" given to your character verses the amount of time given to extremely important characters such as Harry, Hermione, Ron, or others. If your character is in Hufflepuff, for example, in Harry's third year, then it's perfectly fine if the amount of time focusing on Harry and the Golden trio is limited. However, Hannah Abbott will be expecting at least a few appearances if they're in the same house and year.

Which brings us to housing you OC. It is perfectly acceptable for your OC to be in Slytherin or Gryffindor, believe it or not. Someone has to be in those houses and, if done properly, it can be a great plot device and not turn your character into a Mary Sue. However, there is nothing wrong with being a Hufflepuff, which maybe something to consider when choosing your OCs house. In short, all of the houses are good, so choose the one that your character actually fits into. If they are smarter than Hermione, put them in Ravenclaw. If they're sneaky and manipulative, put them in Slytherin. The part where most people get into trouble is when they create a perfect Mary Sue that fits the bill for every house. If this happens to you, go back to step one and revise her personality.

The manner in which she is sorted is also extremely important. Due to the lack of available romance in the first year or so of Hogwarts, transfer students are among the most popular OCs used. A transfer student does not have to become a Mary Sue, but so many are that they are almost immediately labeled as such. To avoid this, give careful consideration to how and when your OC is sorted. Are they sorted during the ceremony? Before hand in a private chamber? Neither makes your character a Mary Sue, but neither prevents her from being one either. However, if Dumbledore announces her arival to the whole school, that just screams "I'm special, therefore better than you, and therefore a Mary Sue". Maybe have him or Professor McGonagall assign her a tour guide or mentor for the first part of school in private, but announcing the new student in front of the whole school at the welcoming feast (when all the first years are also new students) just makes it seem stupid.

After she has been sorted, you need to decide who she is going to hang out with. If she's in Gryffindor, then it is perfectly acceptable for her to hang out with the Golden Trio. However, this does not mean that she is their new BFF and is immediately in on all of their secrets. She will, of course, have to discretely prove herself to be trustworthy and will probably not be in on all of the action. In Fifth Year, however, she can be very involved in the forming of Dumbledore's Army, but make sure that the people are still there to see Harry, and not her.

The same rule applies to every house and friend situation. She should never be immediately accepted, nor should she be immediately ostracized by one or all. If she's foreign, then yes, people can be slightly fascinated with her. Maybe they'll ask her to say words in her accent or tell them about her homeland. That's acceptable to some extent, but should not be the main point of the story and all canon character's complete fascination should wear off by Christmas.

Which brings us to one of my personal pet peeves: Miss Mary going to the Weasley's for the Holidays.

Be honest with yourself. Would you invite someone that you barely knew over to your house for all of Christmas break? Probably not. Would you want to be away from your family for all of Christmas break with people you barely knew? Again, probably not. Maybe their families can have a get together of sorts on "Wrestling Day" (ha ha ha, bad joke), but sending her to their house for a major holiday after only knowing her for half a year is just a bit… tacky. As is having her receive a Weasley sweater over her first Christmas.

Another huge pet peeve of many readers is an author that continually changes which canon character her original character ends up with. If you decide that she will get hitched to Harry Potter and begin to write all about how wonderful being in love with Harry is, then she had better not change her mind half way through chapter seven and start dating Malfoy. I actually read a story about how a girl (who also happened to be a fallen Angel with yellow eyes) fell in love with Harry, and then Draco swept her off of her feet. Now, let's fast forward a few chapters (and years, in the story) to when the Seventh Harry Potter movie came out. Well, apparently this author no longer loved Draco as much as she used to so BAM! Insert allegations of an abusive relationship here. I have no idea if the story is still on here, but it was included in a parody called "Attack of the Mary Sues" and the main character was named Poppy Ashes.

That is a perfect example of what not to do with a story.

Another common mistake that many authors make with the plot is having it move too fast. She shouldn't be saving the world with Harry and pals until a few chapters in, and even then it's still pretty tacky for her to do so.

The plot should be some what believable. It doesn't have to be slow moving and involve her eating cereal as a back ground character, but it shouldn't revolve solely around her and what she's wearing on that particular day. Keep this in mind when developing your plot. Also, don't pretend that your plot about life if James and Lily had lived in original. It's not. Be realistic with yourself and save yourself some pain and harsh words.

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><p><em>3. Oh, Brother, Oh, Sister!<em>

Unlike the Lord of the Rings fandom, many Harry Potter character's family trees are almost completely open for interpretation. We have no idea if Luscious Malfoy had siblings, so an unheard of Malfoy cousin is one hundred percent plausible. Unheard of Weasley cousins are also plausible, but making you OC Harry, Ron, or Draco's sister is completely unnecessary and will (almost immediately) result in reviews about how Mary Sueish your character is. So what's the solution? Just don't do it! If you feel the need for her to have some canon relative, choose Oliver Wood or Seamus Finigan or another character that is not clearly established to be an only child. This also applies to James' sister falling in love with Sirius. It is heavily implied that he is an only child (it may have even been established at some point) so it's unnecessary for him to have a sister. A cousin is almost plausible, but keep in mind that this cousin would have probably been killed in the first Wizarding War.

Hermione's sister stories are, actually, very plausible. J. K. Rowling herself even said that she had been planning on having Hermione's sister attend Hogwarts Fifth year, but had ended up abandoning the attempt because the rest of the story was too important and it wouldn't fit into the plot line. So, if you have Hermione's sister, be aware of a few facts before you start writing.

**One**- Hermione is not an "Original" name. It is unique, to some extent, but it was the name of a character in one of Shakespeare's lesser known works called "A Winter's Tale". This means that if Hermione had a sister, she would probably be called something like Jane (from Jane Eyre), Kate/ Bianca (from "The Taming of the Shrew"), Viola/ Olivia (from "Twelfth Night"), or another name from popular English works. Her name would not be a random mix of letters like Hermione's seems to be, at first glance. It's obvious that Hermione's parents are of a higher class than this and are very appreciative of fine literature.  
><strong>Two<strong>- Siblings do not always end up in the same house and if she was really five years younger than her sister, they would probably not hang out with the same people. So don't make the Golden Trio into the Golden Foursome, because siblings don't get along _that_ well. Trust me, I have five.  
><strong>Three<strong>- don't make her some illegitimate child. It is well established that Hermione's parents are still married and do not plan on getting a divorce any time soon. So just don't even attempt this. It'll just end very, very badly.

So, how related should your character be? Not very. It doesn't add anything to the story in most cases and is a huge point for many anti Sue flamers to pick at.

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><p>Thank you to my readers and reviewers!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's** **Note.-**This essay was written as a guide to helping avoid the terribly annoying Mary Sue and all of the clichés that go along with it. This is in no way meant to insult, offend, or point fingers at _anyone_. This is meant to be used as a tool for author's old and new to help explain what a Mary Sue is, why they are not appreciated by many members of Fan Fiction, and how to avoid them.  
>Thank you, and Happy Writing.<p>

_4. Mirror, Mirror…_

Every single reader's fantasy is to end up with the hottest guy in all of Hogwarts. Maybe you find that the pale skin, hair, and eyes of Draco Malfoy melt your heat into a pool of goop; maybe the way Fred and George drive Ron crazy makes you swoon with love. Or, maybe you're like me and find Oliver Wood's overly competitive, controlling, OCD, and big, brown eyes so attractive that you actually screamed with joy when you Wikipedia stalked the actor that played him and discovered that he would be in the last movie. Don't deny it- you've been there, just like me.

The only difference is that some of us choose to make our affections publically known where as others choose to keep their secret hankering for a tall, dark, and handsome magical hero (unless, of course, you prefer Draco Malfoy, and you'd be going for short, pale, and ferret like villain) a, well, secret. The choice is yours, but be aware that if you choose to write a romance for your favorite hunk, you are, most likely, inadvertently writing a self insert.

In truth, actually, most characters are self inserts, to some extent. Authors write about what they know. Who do you know better than yourself? F. Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote The Great Gatsby (which is amazing, by the way), wrote about Jay trying to woo Daisy, just like he did with his wife. J. D. Salinger, who wrote one of the most well known novels The Catcher in the Rye, wrote about a boy from upper middle class New York City, where he grew up. J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, said himself that many aspects of Farimir, one of the most likable characters in the novels, was based on himself. However, all of these characters have flaws. How did these authors do this? They wrote as the character, not as themselves.

This is hard and takes practice. A lot of it. Many don't have time to do this, especially if payments are not involved.

However, the best thing that you can do is try not to make them how you want to be.

Do you think that animals are people too? Don't make them a PETA member, make them a rib/ bar -be -que fanatic.

Do you want to join the army one day? Make them an army protestor, or something along those lines.

It doesn't even have to be that extreme. Just don't have their beliefs mirror yours.

But, you may be thinking, if all of those great authors had self inserts that worked out well, why cant mine?

The answer is simple: you will not be fair to yourself.

You want people to like you and if your character is a reflection of yourself, then you will want people to like that character, whether they are your readers or the characters in the book. You will also want that character to be happy which will result in them getting everything that they wanted in the end. You will also not want to get into trouble, therefore everything your character does will be made justifiable.

It's very simple, if you think about it. Just look at Bella from Twilight. Do you really want your characters to end up like her?

_5. Who's the Fairest of them All?_

Yes, your character can be skinny. They don't have to be fat.

No, they don't have to have acne so bad that they are on multiple medications for it.

Yes, she can even have red hair.

However, before you describe her to us, think about something. How relevant are her looks to the plot?

That's right. They aren't. Or at least they shouldn't be.

It isn't wrong to tell us that she has blue eyes, brown hair, and is tall. However, here are some examples of what not to do:

"I have long, raven colored hair that reaches my mid back, pale, milky white skin, shockingly green eyes, and stand at a proud five feet tall."  
>do you call your own hair "Raven", " Ebony", or "auburn" or do you just call it "Brown", "black", or "Hawaiian Punch"? Also, saying "Stand at a proud (insert extremely short height here)" or do you just say "I'm about five ten"?<br>Be honest with yourself. No one describes them selves like that.

"She looked into the mirror at her cold, deep, green eyes, her long, ebony hair that reached her mid back, and her pale, white skin."  
>Once again, drop the needless adjectives. Just say "black hair" or "Green eyes". Also, do you think like this when looking in the mirror? Usually, when I look in the mirror, I think "That zit is huge. I wonder if my step mom will make me go to school looking like this or if I should just try to make myself throw up now". Using the mirror excuse doesn't help.<p>

Now, here's what you can do:

"Heather pulled back her curly brown hair. It was time to get down to business and write that essay."  
>it doesn't have to be an essay; it can be anything, really. But notice how her hair is curly and brown, not "Slightly wavy" and chocolate colored. Also, she's doing something that's exciting. Or, it has the potential to be exciting if you're better at improvising and think of something better than writing an essay for her to do.<p>

"Mary had pulled back her long blonde hair in preparation for the game. A glint of excitement shone in her large blue eyes as she smiled and rubbed her hands together; her long, lean body rocking back and forth on her large feet."  
>That was a wonderful description, if I do say so myself. Notice how we still don't know how tall she is, but can imply that she's tall, with an athlete's build. Also, she's tall and got the unfortunate trait of large feet that goes with being tall. If she's got one thing, it often means that she has another. Keep that in mind when coming up with your character.<p>

The easiest way to avoid the dreaded over description of your character's looks is not to give them any. Or, if you do give them an appearance, make them after her personality and keep them simple and to only the most basic level. Decide "She'll have long, blonde hair, blue eyes, and be pretty tall, but skinny". That way, when you write, you wont feel the need to describe her as much.

The final, and most important part of looks, though, is too make them realistic.

No one has naturally purple eyes (though I did meet someone with black eyes who was born on my birthday).

No one's eyes naturally change color.

No one has naturally bright red hair. Same with bright orange.

Hair dye was not widely available until the 90s.

Women did not commonly wear pants in public until the late 1970s.

And, finally, though this has nothing to do with appearances:

People didn't even have Walkmans until the 1980s. don't give someone an ipod if they're in the Harry Potter universe.

_6. CATCH! This Book…_

I play softball, swim on the JV team, have a 3.6 GPA, am in two AP classes, play the viola (which is not a violin! It's not even close to a violin!), and can play the guitar. Well, I can play about three chords on it, so not really.

I will admit it; I am good at a lot of things. However, my acting is shitty, so no matter how hard I try to fit in with the theater kids, I end up sticking out like a sore thumb. That and I called them all hipsters and said that they were mainstream, which really pissed them off at me. I just don't get the whole "European scarf" fad and the are _totally_ mainstream. And I am going to stop before I get into a huge rant about them.

Anyway, my point is, no one is good at everything. In fact, I'm probably going to give up softball because I'm not that great at it and I need more studying time. I work pretty hard for my GPA and I don't go to parties because I need to study. I've played the viola forever, six seniors were graduating when I tried out for symphonic, I'm last chair, and my two AP classes make me want to kill myself on a good day. So be realistic when choosing what she's good at. She wont be excellent at everything.

If she's a "theater kid", she will not play sports. Trust a swimmer that tried hanging out with them once. They just don't play sports. Period. End of story. "Theater kids" also get terrible grades. Only two of them were even accepted into NHS and I know four that are taking multiple English classes each year because they've failed so many. Summer school would be filled with them if their parents weren't rich enough to send them to Europe or New York every summer.

In case you haven't noticed, I have issues with theater kids. I don't mean the ones that are actually dedicated to it, I mean the ones that try out for the Musical and then bail when they don't get the lead because they're too good to be in the chorus or do props. But then they brag about all of their "Credits" and stuff.

I used to hang out with them because they like Doctor Who and Harry Potter, but weren't those freaky Anime kids that run Harry Potter club. However, they seemed to not like the fact that I am a practicing Mormon that swims for the school and has good grades and also doesn't get the scarf fad and works in the costume department.

Anyways, the lesson is, if you have a "theater kid", their version of "theater" is all that they are probably good at.

If you have a jock kid, their grades are probably average at best and chances are that they cant play any instruments well.

If they're kind of nerdy, then they probably don't have time for sports or instruments.

Even my friend Nicole, who is a genius, isn't good at everything. She only made D team for soccer and cant make Jazz band.

So, all in all, your chose one or two things for them to be really good at. The rest, they don't even have to touch. Unless they're a theater kid, in which case they probably can only act and fail at everything else in life.

Sorry if I offended any "theater people", unless you go to my school, in which case, I probably hate you.

Sorry to my readers for my rant on "theater kids". We just have issues that were recently put to light.

And I use the quotes becuase, like I said, they're the one's that bail when their parents can't get them the lead.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's** **Note. Please Read-**This essay was written as a guide to helping avoid the terribly annoying Mary Sue and all of the clichés that go along with it. This is in no way meant to insult, offend, or point fingers at _anyone_. This is meant to be used as a tool for author's old and new to help explain what a Mary Sue is, why they are not appreciated by many members of Fan Fiction, and how to avoid them. Thank you, and Happy Writing.

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><p><em>7. Historically speaking…<em>

To be perfectly frank, if you are writing a story for one of my favorite books, The Outsiders, people didn't even have walkmans, none the less iPods until the 1980's,about fifteen years after The Outsiders is set. Records are rather large and expensive, so people didn't just "toss them onto the record player" in their room.

And guess what? The same applies for Marauder era of Harry Potter.

Also, iPods just don't work at Hogwarts in general, so don't even bother giving one to your character.

Anyways, the point is, your character needs to fit in with the time period. If they're time traveling, then that's one thing, but if they were born and raised in the time you're writing for, they'll follow the same social customs and have similar beliefs to the canon characters of that time period. They shouldn't socially be "ahead of the game/ curve" if you know what I mean.

For instance, Remember the Titans is one of my all time favorite movies. The story is compelling and moving, the characters are larger than life, and the music is amazing. However, one of my least favorite Fan Fiction pages is the Remember the Titans page because the female heroine that ends up with Pete/ Sunshine/ Gary/ Julius/ Alan is always a huge supporter of the civil rights movement. Now, I know that there were many, many white people who supported the civil rights movement in the sixties, seventies, and even before that point, but many were not exactly "outspoken" about their support and many pretended not to support the movement. Even the people that supported it didn't feel the same way about racial equality that we do today. It's just a fact of history that we all need to accept. If your character goes to Hogwarts in the sixties/ seventies (the time that the Marauders were there) racial equality was in turmoil around the world. Having a character be a member of the Civil Rights Movement is a way of putting them ahead of the curve.

Also, clothing is a huge part of this. Women didn't wear pants until the late seventies. Having them throw on a pair of Daisy Dukes and a tube top first of all, makes them seem like a slut, and secondly, is completely unrealistic before the late eighties/ nineties.

So, how can you avoid many of these faults? Do your research. It doesn't have to be reading a chapter of your history text book or a Wikipedia article on the time period in question. Watch a movie set in that time period. Read a book from that time period. For the fifties, watch _Back to the Future_ or _Pleasantville_. For the seventies watch _That Seventies Show_. Maybe even talk to your parents about growing up then (oh, who am I kidding? We all know we won't do _that_). You can do your research and have some fun too. It's not that hard or time consuming. And, I have links to helpful sites on my profile, just in case. So use these resources. It's not that hard and kind of fun, in a lot of ways. Either that or I'm just a nerdy freak that likes to learn…

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><p><em>8. Goffic vs Preppy<em>

It used to be that a Mary Sue was a very happy, blonde or red headed cheerleader that wore all Hollister, Abercrombie, and Juicy Couture. One could easily make their character a non Mary Sue by having them be Goth or a cutter. Then, however, Tara came along.

I am talking, of course, about _the_ Tara. The one who created the classic_ My Immortal_. If you haven't read _My Immortal_ then you should at least try. It is the biggest train wreck of a story to ever grace the pages of the internet. Few people have read it all at once, but many have attempted. I've read a great deal of it and it is everything _not_ to do in a story. Here's a little background to it.

In 2006, Tara Gielesbie (or something like that) wrote a story entitled My Immortal. The story revolved around a goffic (or, gothic) vampire named Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way, who goes around Hogwarts and has sex with random people that seem to be based off of characters from the Harry Potter series. However, these imitations are all bisexual 'goffs' with different names or are so called 'posers' or 'preps' if they were deemed "uncool" by Tara. Mart McFly also makes an appearance in there, too, near the end, but he is called Morty McFli. I suppose one could argue that there is, in fact, a plot, but it's hard because she mostly goes to concerts, cuts herself, pts on clothes and make up, and has sex with random people that vaguly resemble characters from the Harry Potter universe. Also, the spelling and grammar are so bad that you probably lose IQ points just by reading it and Ebony is a total self insert, if it's even real. That's how bad it is. But still, read it.

_My Immortal _was removed from Fan Fiction. net some years ago around 2008, but it still has an almost cult like following. It's like the _Blair Witch Project_ of Fan Fiction: it's being marketed as real, but it's almost for sure a fake. However, spin offs continue to pop up, though not a single one of them holds a candle to the brilliance of the original.

Though we could talk for days about the revolutionary My Immortal, we must move on. The point of bringing up My Immortal is the fact that it shows that "prep" does not equal Sue. Goth and Emo are often times considered much more Mary Sue like by many authors, in reality.

So, what should you do? Easy- find a balance. Make them seem real. Don't have them cut themselves and then come back to life. Don't have them act like a perfect angel all the time. Be honest, and dare to go near a self insert like quality: put a little bit of your self into this character. Think for a second: would you or anyone you know do this? If the answer is no, then your character probably wouldn't do it either.

This is also a very good solution to a very large problem many writers come across: sex.

Now, before we begin, let's take a second to grow up.

Sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex.

Feel uncomfortable yet?

I still think that it has a bigger effect when it's said out loud, though.

Anyways, moving on, the truth is, that because so many stories with OCs are romances, almost every author will have to write some sort of scene involving sexuality or sexual contact. It wont necessarily be a sex scene, you know. Maybe you write about two characters kissing. Maybe you write about them having sex. Either way, you will be faced with this problem, whether you like it or not.

When writing about kissing, think: if I had just met this guy in a bar, more often than not, would I let him shove his tongue down my throat? Would I let him feel me up? Would I go home with him? Would I let him near my drink?

I sure hope that the answer to all of these are no. I don't want my readers getting date raped.

Kissing isn't a big deal in most stories. Usually characters will kiss many times, often while getting together. However, if you have a sex scene, the rating needs to be changed to M. And it should not be like reading a pornography script.

My personal preference? Change to another scene before things get too heated.

Also, what should your character think about sex?

Well, whether they happen to be abstinent or a bit on the promiscuity side, all that matters is the amount of times that characters offer them sex and how they react. If every character wants to sleep with them, it doesn't matter what they say, it just seems tacky.

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><p>Well, I hope this helps at least one person. The last chapter will be up eventually. I hope.<p>

Until next time…


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's** **Note. Please Read-**This essay was written as a guide to helping avoid the terribly annoying Mary Sue and all of the clichés that go along with it. This is in no way meant to insult, offend, or point fingers at _anyone_. This is meant to be used as a tool for author's old and new to help explain what a Mary Sue is, why they are not appreciated by many members of Fan Fiction, and how to avoid them. Thank you, and Happy Writing.

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><p><strong>A short note of apology:<strong> Between "Dying" relatives, strep, finishing another story, watching "A Very Potter Musical" and "A Very Potter Sequel" too many time, Harry Potter coming out, and readjusting to normal life, I have been home rarely, at best. So I apologize for my delays.

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><p><em>9. Ginny is a Biotch…<em>

Okay, I'll just be honest here, though I will ship Ron/ Hermione until death do us part, Ginny just pisses me off in the movies and also in the books. In the movies she has no chemistry with Daniel Radcliff and is also about three inches taller than he is. In the books she's just so popular and liked by everyone and good at everything that she seems like a Mary Sue to me. In general, she just kind of bugs me. And, in all honesty, I like her more in the movies because she isn't constantly shown to be this tough, hot, popular girl that Harry is totally in love with.

Anyways, the point is that I don't like Ginny. Many fans do not like Ginny either. Ginny/ Harry is a widely disliked pairing because people find Ginny a bit annoying. Barely twelve percent of all Harry related stories involve him paired with Ginny. Even Ron/ Hermione (another popularly disputed pairing) has a bigger following than they do! Their following is equal (depending on the site, but typically close) to a very popular non canon couple- Harry/ Hermione.

Even Hermione is paired in her canon couple more often than Harry is; even though she is part of (arguably) the most popular fan pairing: Dramione. Her pairing with Ron is (almost) as despised as Ginny/ Harry by many fans, yet their following is significantly larger.

But J.K. Rowling didn't pair people together for popularity points.

And what was my point of that rant? Well, I have no idea. But the point is, often times, when writing fan fiction, we break up a well established couple like Ginny and Harry or Ron and Hermione. And, well, we don't like the person that's getting in our way.

So what do we do? We bash them and turn them into annoying, overly popular, Mary Sue like, bitches that make our character seem humble, charming and sweet by comparison. Or, the perfect match for the object of our affection.

Most authors that get away with this commonly used tool get away with it because  
>A) They do it subtly.<br>B) They actually see the character that way  
>and C) Most of their readers see the character that way too.<p>

And why is this character that is slandered typically Ginny? Well, maybe because people find Daniel Radcliff more attractive than Rupert Grint. Maybe because Ron/ Hermione seems to have more chemistry or their whole "Sexual Tension" story line is intriguing. Or maybe it seems more fun to date the "Chosen One" than his side kick.

The point is, don't make your love interest's canon soul mate someone to throw stones at, so to speak. They don't have to be BFFs or anything with you character, but you should be realistic. What are they really like in the series?

That's right. They aren't Nancy Grace.

It's okay to highlight, briefly, a few of their worse points, but don't make Luna some stupid preppy blonde cheer leader that looks down on every one and only cares about boys, her make up, her hair, and her clothes. She is clearly shown to be much more than that, not that Tara would know.

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><p><em>10. Cannon Sue<em>

Sometimes when we're in a creative slump we don't have the time to come up with our own Original Character, so we end up borrowing one from J.K. Rowling. However, we don't see this character as J.K. Rowling's own creation. No, we see this character as ours.

Luna is no longer a believing and caring free spirit, but a rather solemn and emotional version of Hermione. Katie Bell is no longer a tough quidditch player, but a recently orphaned American newspaper editor. And yes, I have seen both of those. More than once.

Most commonly, this is done to Hermione when she is paired with Draco. Suddenly, she's not just a brain, but a super hot sex kitten that's after Draco and determined to get him into her bed one way or another.

That's probably why Dramione has such a bad reputation. Stories like that are just abundant with OOC.

Ahh, we've finally gotten to this point. OOC stands for Out Of Character. Now, it is so extremely hard to write in character that many people will just ignore it or convince them selves that the character really is that way.

Either way, many legit authors that do this to improve their writing do not like OOC. Fan gurlz that want to pretend that they married Draco Malfoy and turn him into the perfect boyfriend on the other hand, will typically enjoy this or not see anything wrong with it.

In general, OOC is very annoying.

The most common complaint is that the characters are so different from in the story that they are almost unrecognizable. Many people will say "They're so different that this should be original fiction, not fan fiction." One of the most annoying things about certain fandoms (South Park, hint, hint) is that the main characters are changed so much by fan fiction writers that they're almost unrecognizable to even the biggest fans of the series. People came to read about characters from the show not look a likes that are almost the exact opposite.

Well, if it's just one character that is so OOC, just make them an OC. Don't turn Katie Bell into some orphan that has an American accent and has all of these OC BFFs and never hangs out with Angelina and Alicia. And don't make Luna think seriously about something like books and grades.

In general, keep it real. No one expects you to write these characters like J.K. Rowling, but you should at least make sure that they have the same general values, interest, background, and dislikes. And it's really not that hard.

And whatever you do, do not, and I mean do not, ever change a canon character's back story so that it includes any abuse, adoptive parents, repressive parents, or orphans. It's worse then when you do that to an OC.

Also, your OC should never change the way canon characters act. Maybe if she was dating Sirius when Lily and James were murdered then she can stop him from chasing down Peter, but don't make Harry stop chasing Horcruxes over her.

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><p><em>But I'm online, not writing an essay…<em>

I know, I know, many authors have PM me this response when I criticize their spelling/ grammar skills, but get real! I am not going to be able to understand, none the less enjoy, a story if I can't read it! I really don't give a crap that we're online (in fact, I think we are all well aware of that little fact). You still need to use basic grammar/ spelling skills while writing.

And yes, this still applies even though we're on the internet.

So let's clarify a few things:

A lot is two words. There is no such word as "alot". There is no such thing as an "alot" either.

You're= a contraction of you are, as in "you're going to be called out on bad grammar if it is the last thing I do!"

Your= a possessive form of you as in "your grammar makes me want to puke my lunch up".

Their= the possessive form of they, as in "Their dog just got hit by a car."

They're= a contraction of they are, as in "They're going to sue that driver!"

There= a place, as in "The Court House is over there".

I get that we all make typos and are far too lazy to thoroughly re read our work, but that's why we have Beta's. It's not hard to find one. Just use the Beta Reader feature on the site and use doc exchange to have them proof read for you.

Also, if your problem lies in the fact that you don't have spelling/ grammar checks on your computer, there are plenty of free ones online. It'll only take a few minutes to find one and then you can just copy and paste your story to have it spell checked.

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><p><em>But I'm doing all of this and still getting flames…<em>

Well, sometimes your character just ends up being a Mary Sue despite all that you do to try and stop it from happening. The best thing that you can do if that happens it to just let her go. Just step back from the story for about a semester of school, focus on something else (grades, social, another story) and then maybe look at this character again if you really want to continue. By this time, your view of her should be clearer.

You might have gotten so close to her that you stopped being fair and let her get away with too much.

Or maybe it's the fact that some people are just jerks who like to flame the heck out of people for no reason.

If this happens to you, do not fight fire with fire. Simply PM them (if they flamed through an account) saying "I'm very sorry that you feel that way. Can you maybe give me some advice on how to improve her?" or (if they didn't use their account) have an author's note that says "Someone mentioned her being a bit of a Mary Sue. Could you maybe tell me what made her seem that way to you?"

One of three thing will happen:  
>1. They'll leave you alone and never respond because they just wanted an angry response from you<br>2. They will continue to flame you for no reason  
>3. Maybe they will apologize and give you some advice<p>

The first one is the most likely to happen out of all of those. If they do continue to flame you, I would report them. Flaming should not be tolerated and you are not a wimp for reporting an out of control flamer. A really majorly out of control flamer was recently removed from the site and I am so glad that it finally happened. She really had it coming to her.

But, if someone leaves you a _critical_ review, do not treat them like a flamer. There's not need to report someone who says "she has a lot of qualities that make her a Mary Sue" or "You should work on you spelling and grammar". Those people are legit trying to help. Maybe say thank you and ask them to elaborate. Don't fight them. They're really trying to help. A real flamer insults your story and often insults you as well.

Remember, though, my fair readers: Everyone will deal with a flamer. The easiest way to get rid of them is to stop fueling their fire. They're just like those bullies on the playground: they do it to get a response. So don't give them one.

Happy writing, good luck, and here are a few fantastic Sue parodies if you're still unsure or just want a good laugh.

**Attack of the Mary Sues**- Karabellkaraboo723  
>a fantastic, hilarious, and almost controversial parody by a hilarious and (surprisingly) kind author that I happened to meet by pure chance. The only quasi decent thing that has ever happened to me on an air plane.<p>

**Revenge of the Mary Sues**- Karabellkaraboo723  
>Another installment that may never be finished. It's still good for a laugh, but a bit more serious and involves an actual plot.<p>

**Ten Steps to DeSueify a Mary Sue**- NickyFox13  
>It's a lot like this, only the actual characters from Harry Potter show up<p>

**A Mary Sue Alphabet**- Irony-chan  
>A hilarious poem about different Sues.<p>

**A Flamingo in a Flock of Pigeons**- Karabellkaraboo723  
>another excellent parody by an excellent author set in the Marauder's era. It'll probably never be finished either, but oh well.<p>

**Debbie Does the Fellowship**  
>A too funny to be true LOTR parody about Debbie (the actress) who is suddenly thrown into the world of Middle Earth. Will she find true love? Or just a bit of action...<p>

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><p>As always, review if you want to.<p> 


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